Combination heating, lighting and ventilating system for buildings



Sept. 23, 1958 Original Filed Aug. 17,

40 r 0L g (i H327? if M r ff IM- i ,4 H m w 1 E if 68 l 4*? l l 76% 40;?" lg 40 I I F l I 2; n I I r) j A. WEITZNER COMBINATION HEATING, LIGHTING AND VENTILATING SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. AnoLPH WEITZNER p 1958 A. WEITZNER COMBINATION HEATING LIGHTING AND VENTILATING SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS Original Filed Aug. 17, 1955,

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ADOLPH WEITZNER Sept. 23, 1958 A.'WEITZNER 2,

COMBINATION HEATING, LIGHTING AND VENTILATING SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS Original Filed Aug. 17, 1955 .4 Sheets-Sheet a Mal-f W A x J INVENTOR.

, ADQLPH WEITZNER Sept. 23, 1958 A. WEITZNER COMBINATION HEATING, LIGHTING AND VENTILATING SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS original Filed Aug. 17, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 i a! I I H" J i INVENTOR.

' ADOLPH WEITZNER United States Patent COMBINATION HEATING, LIGHTING AND VEN- TILATIN G SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS Adolph "Weitzner, New York, N. Y.

Substituted for abandoned application Serial No. 529,036, August 17, 1955. This application November 8, 1957, Serial No. 695,342

8 Claims. (Cl. 240*9) This invention relates to a combination heating, lighting, and ventilating system for homes, stores, and other building structures. This is a substitute for my former application filed 'on August 17, 1955, Serial No. 529,036, and now abandoned.

An important object of the "invention is to provide a system of the type .stated which will be novelly designed in "such a manner as to permit the several rooms of the structure to be lighted without the necessity of disposing individual lights within the room.

Another object is to provide a system of .lighting including aplurality of ducts, through which ducts light is reflected from a central point to a plurality of locations, such as to various rooms of a building, the ducts being so designed as 'to be also usable for transmission of .fresh air or heat to said roon'is.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set torth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic, vertical sectional view through a building equipped with a combination heating, lighting, and ventilating system formed according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan sectional view of the building structure .as seen 'from line .22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan sectional view of said building structure on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, all portions of the building except the corners thereof being broken away.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view of one of the corner portions of the building, approximately on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary perspective views of cooperating duct sections incorporated in "the construction.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the duct lining sections.

in the several figures of the drawing, a building in which the combination system formed according to the present invention has been installed has been generally designated at 10, and as shown in Fig. 1, includes a foundation '12 from which rises the exterior walls '13 of the building. Of "course, the building can be of any design, can be of "one or more floors, and can have any number of rooms on each floor, with theroom arrangement being as desired, the invention "being such as to permit installation of the system regardless of the number of floors, sizes and shapes of rooms, etc. For purposes of illustration only, the building has been shown somewhat diagrammatically, with a single basement space 14, an uninterrupted first floor area 15, and "an uninterrupted second floor area '17. p

In accordance with the present invention, there is centr-ally suspended within the basement area "14 a light intensifi'er 1'6 of flattened, circrfl'ar 'configuratipn, said inten's'ifier being of elliptical cross section. The light in- ICC tensifier 16' is a system of lenses so arranged as to cause light directed downwardly through a short connecting conduit 18 from ya light source 20 to be deflected outwardly, radially of the light intensifier (see Fig. 2) through ducts or channels 22, to the upper corners of the basement area 14. The light source 20 is suspended by a support bracket 23 from a stainless steel plate 25 attached to the ceiling 21 "of the basement, and prior to being directedthrough the connecting duct 18, the light emanating from the source 20 may be concentrated through a primary light intensifier 27. The resultant, concentrated beam of light is then directed against the lower lightintensifier lens 16, and is then directed outwardly through the ducts or channels '22.

Mounted adjacent opposite side walls of the basement (Figs. 1 and 2) are combination heaters and air conditioners 24, which can be of conventional design per se, and by the operation of suitable manually or automatically actuated controls, cansupply either heated or cooled air, under a forced air system incorporating the use of blowers in the combination heater and 'air conditioners. The 'air, whether heated or cooled, .is directed through an outlet 26, passing through air filters 28 into ducts 30. Each of the ducts '30 is in the shape of a shallow V, with the air being directed into the midle'n'gth portion of each duct '30, the air then being directed in opposite directions upwardly and outwardly through the upwardly divergent arms of the ducts, passing then into radial conduits 32 secured to the undersides of the outer end portions of the light ducts 22, and extending with the light ducts to the upper corners of the basement area.

The interior side walls of the house have been desig-v nated at '34, and are spaced inwardly from the exterior walls 13 to provide open spaces .therebetween through which, as will presently appear, the light, heat, and ventilating ducts extend. Designated at 36 is the first floor ceiling, which also constitutes the floor of the second floor area 17.

.At the corners of the house there are provided prisms generally designated 38, there being four prisms at the level of the basement ceiling 21, which ceiling also constitutes the floor of the first floor area 15, one, at each corner of the building within the space between the inter ior and exterior walls 34, 13 respectively. A second set of tour prisms is provided at the level of the ceiling 36 of the first floor area, there again being one at each corner of the building structure. The prisms are so arranged that light emanating from the ducts 22 will be deflected at the several corners of the building, with some of the light passing straight upwardly within the corner spaces, to pass from the lowermost set of prisms 38 to the .next higher set of prisms, and, if there are any more floors in the building, :to successively higher sets of prisms; The lower-most prisms further deflect light horizontally along the sides of the house or other building, that is, along horizontal paths extending along the floor of the first floor area 15, along the several sides of said first .floor area.

The light directed straight upwardly along the corner spaces to the .level of the floor 36 of the second floor area is directed by the upper set of prisms 38 illustrated in Fig. 1 along horizontal paths extending along the several sidewalls 34, in the same manner as the light "is horizontally directed by the lower set "of prisms shown in Fig. 1 At the level of the floor '36, however, the upper set of "prisms directs some of the "light along horizontal paths just above theplane of the floor 36, so as to direct said light along the sides of the second floor area 17 near the floor of the second floor area, with the remaining "light being deflected 'by the upper set of prisms 38 along horizontalpa'ths just below the plane of the floor 36, so as to 3 be directed along the walls of the first floor area 15, adjacent the ceiling.

By reason of this arrangement, light is directed into the rooms of the building inwardly from the several side walls of each room toward the center of the room, at all locations through the full periphery of the room, with this occurring both at floor level and at ceiling level in each room.

As previously mentioned, the light is deflected upwardly along vertical lines at the corners of the building structure by the lower set of prisms 38 shown in Fig. 1, and this light passes (see Fig. 3) through riser spaces 39 of triangular cross section. At each corner of the building, adjacent each riser space 39, there is mounted a vertically ascending riser column 40. As will presently appear, the light directed through the spaces 39 is prismatically reflected into conduits provided in the riser columns 4t), and then is again prismatically reflected through slotlike vertical outlets at the several corners of each room into the room area. It will thus be appreciated that not only is light directed into a room at floor and ceiling level, through horizontally disposed light outlets extending over the full periphery of the room at these levels, but also is directed radially, inwardly of each room through vertical outlets extending from floor to ceiling of each room, atthe several corners thereof.

Horizontal outlet conduits generally designated at 42 are formed identically, so far as the cross-sectional construction thereof is concerned, to the riser columns 40, and the horizontal conduits are utilized for providing the horizontal, peripherally extending outlets at the floor and ceiling levels of the rooms.

Since the specific construction of the horizontal conduits 42 is identical to that of the riser columns 40, the detailed description of one of the riser columns will sufiice for all of the riser columns as well as for all of the horizontal ducts 42.

.As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and also in Figs. and 6, each column includes a pair of cooperating casing sections 44, 46 formed of an opaque material, and connected by longitudinal, diametrically opposed keys or tongues 48, 50 fitting into confronting longitudinal grooves 51 of the casing sections. Between the opposed tongues, the casing sections have opposed longitudinal recesses 52, 54 of substantially semicircular cross section, cooperating to provide a passage of circular cross section when the casing sections are assembled with one another. Extending longitudinally of the recess 52 is an elongated spring spacer member 56, formed at uniformly spaced locations along its length with arcuate cross bars 58, the opposite ends of which have radially, outwardly extending tips 60 engaging in the wall of the recess 52.

Within each passage of the riser columns there is mounted a liner generally designated 64 of light reflective, prismatic construction, each liner composing a plurality of transversely curved, elongated liner sections 66 (Figs. 3, 4 and 7) the liner being pressed by the spring member 56 against opposite sides of a longitudinal rib 67 formed in the casing section 46. Light entering the columns 40 or the horizontally disposed conduits 42 is reflected outwardly by the liners 64 through slot-like outlets 70 extending substantially the full length of each riser column or horizontal condiut as the case may be, there being mounted against opposite Walls of the slotlike outlets outwardly divergent, elongated flange elements 68.

It will thus be seen that there is a slot-like outlet at each corner of each room, extending from floor to ceiling of the room, and it will further be noted that there is a horizontal slot-like outlet extending along each side of the room, at the floor and ceiling thereof. As already mentioned, light is prismatically directed from the intensifier 16 through channels 22 to the lower set of prisms 38, passing upwardly within the corner spaces 39, and being then directed, by a means to be described 4 hereinafter, into the lined riser columns and horizontal ducts, being deflected by the prismatic liners 64 thereafter through the outlets 70 into the room areas.

To mount the several riser columns and horizontal ducts within the walls of the room, said walls are provided with vertical and horizontal grooves 72 at theirseveral edges, receiving ribs 74 formed upon the casing sections 46 (Fig. 6). For the purpose of directing the light from the spacers 39 into the riser columns and horizontal ducts, there are provided prisms 76 projecting into the spaces 39 and communicating with the lined passages of the riser columns and ducts, the prisms being so designed as to deflect light laterally from the spaces 39 into the columns and horizontal ducts.

Following along each riser column is a tubular casing 78 of rubber material, the several vertically disposed tubular casings being, accordingly, located at the corners of the building structure, paralleling the riser columns 40. At the levels of the several horizontal ducts 42 (Fig. 4) the vertically ascending tubular casings 78 open into horizontally disposed tubular casings 80 paralleling the horizontal conduits 42, and communicating between the lined passages of the vertical and horizontal columns and conduits 40, 42 respectively are short connecting casings 82. Extending through the tubular casings 78, 80, 82 are side-by-side tubes 84, 86, it being understood that these tubes would extend fully into communication with the combination heater and air conditioners 24. The spring members 56 provide spacers, forming open spaces within the passages of the riser columns and horizontal ducts, into which the heated or cooled air is directed, and said heated and cooled. air is then directed through suitable outlets provided in the reflective liners of the columns and conduits, for passage through the slot-like outlets 70 into the room areas.

It will thus be seen that in a unitary system mounted in the basement and walls of the building, light, heat, and air supply are all incorporated, with the light, heat, and air all being directed into the room areas through the same outlets 70, which outlets extend through the full periphery of the room at ceiling and floor level, and also through the full height of the room'at the several corners. A soft, diffused light is thus spread 'through all the room areas, and at the same time, uniformly heated, forced air, and also cooled air, are also directed into the room areas through the same outlets from which the light is emanating. Further, air can be blown through the outlets from the combination heater and air conditioners which is neither heated nor cooled, for purposes of ventilation only, it being understood that said air may be drawn from outside the building, or can be recirculated. The tubes 84, 86, in fact, can be so arranged that one of the tubes constitutes a riser or outlet duct for heated, cooled, and ventilation air, while the other tube constitutes a return duct for said air, in a recirculating system.

Further, it is to be noted that the lighting, heating, cooling and ventilating of the entire structure is achieved without the use of special wiring extending within the walls of the rooms or the ceiling or floors thereof, and without the requirement of separate light fixtures such as are conventionally provided in building structures. All the light emanates from a single light source confined within the basement, and all the heated and cooled air further emanates from sources concealed within the basement. The distribution of the light is achieved wholly by prismatic means, with the light being directed through the same passages as the forced heated, cooled, and ventilating air is led.

It is to be understood that this construction may be adapted for automobiles, airplanes railroad passenger cars and on ships.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructionherein first prismatic means for deflecting light horizontally at selected intervals along the length of said passages, a plurality of riser columns extending adjacent said passages, second prismatic means for receiving the horizontally deflected light and leading the same into said riser columns, means in the riser columns for deflecting light led thereinto substantially horizontally, inwardly of the rooms-of said building structure, said columns having outlets into said rooms through which the inwardly de- 'flected light is directed into the rooms, and means for forcing into said columns, for discharge through the outlets thereof, simultaneously with the direction of the light beams therethrough, a supply of conditioned air, said system further including horizontally disposed conduits extending along the sides of said building between adjacent corner passages, sa'id'horizontal conduits having outlets into said rooms at the ceiling and floor'levels thereof, said second prismatic means :being adapted to direct light through the horizontal conduits for passage of said light from the outlets of the horizontal conduits, said means for supplying conditioned air being adapted to supply heated, cooled, and ventilating air, said channels extending radially from said lightsource to the several corners of the structure, s'aid first prismatic means including a set of prisms located in a common horizontal plane at the several corners of the structure, at each floor level of the structure, spanning the passages above and below the floor levels.

2. A combination lighting, heating, and ventilating system for a building structure comprising -a single, centrally located light source, in the bottom of the structure, a plurality of light supply channels extending from said source, main light passages extending upwardly from the outlet ends of the channels at thecorners of the structure, first prismatic means for deflecting light horizontally at selected intervals along the length of said passages, a plurality of riser columns extending adjacentsaid passages, second prismatic means for receiving the horizontally deflected light and leading the same into said riser columns, means in the riser columns for deflecting light led thereinto substantially horizontally, inwardly of the rooms of said building structure, said columns having outlets into said rooms through which the inwardly deflected light is directed into the rooms, and means for forcing into said columns, for discharge through the outlets thereof, simultaneously with the direction of the light beams therethrough, a supply of conditioned air, said system further including horizontally disposed conduits extending along the sides of said building between adjacent corner passages, said horizontal conduits having outlets into said rooms at the ceiling and floor levels thereof, said second prismatic means being adapted to direct light through the horizontal conduits for passage of said light from the outlets of the horizontal conduits, said outlets being of slot-like formation with the outlets of the riser columns being disposed vertically Within each room and the outlets of the horizontal conduits being disposed horizontally within the room, the ends of the vertical and horizontal outlets being closely spaced with the first prismatic means spanning said spaces.

3. A combination lighting, heating, and ventilating system for a building structure comprising a single, centrally located light .source, in the bottom of the structure, a plurality of light supply channels extending from said source, main light passages extending upwardly from the ,outlet ends of the :channels at the corners of the structure, first prismatic means for deflecting light horizontally at selected intervals along the length of said passages, a plurality of riser columns extending adjacent said passages, second prismatic means for receiving the horizontally deflected light and leading the same into said riser columns, means in the riser columns for defleeting light led thereinto substantially horizontally, inwardly of the rooms of said building structure, said columns having outlets into said rooms through which the inwardly deflected light is directed into the rooms, and means for forcing into said columns, for discharge through the outlets thereof, simultaneously with the direction of the light beams therethrough, a supply of conditioned air, said system further including horizontally disposed conduits extending along the sides of said building between adjacent cornerpassages, said horizontal conduits having outlets into said rooms at the ceiling and floor levels thereof, said second prismatic means being adapted:to direct light through the horizontal conduits for passage of said light from the outlets of the horizontal conduits, said means for supplying conditioned air including tubular casings extending in parallelism with the riser columns and horizontal conduits and having connecting passages communicating with said riser columns .and horizontal conduits.

4. A combination lighting, heating, and ventilating system for a building structure comprising a single, centrally located light source, in the bottom of the struc- Hire, a plurality of light supply channels extending from said source, main light passages extending upwardly from the outlet ends of the channels at the corners of the structure, .first .prismatic means for deflecting light horizontally at selected intervals along the length of said passages, a plurality of riser columns extending adjacent said passages, second prismatic means for receiving the horizontally deflected light and leading the same into said riser columns, means in the .riser columns for defiecting light led thereinto substantially horizontally, inwardly of the rooms of said building structure, said columns having outlets into said rooms through which the inwardly deflected light is directed into the rooms, and means for forcing into said columns, for discharge through the outlets thereof, simultaneously with the direction of :the light beams therethrough, a supply of conditioned air, said system further including horizontally disposed conduits extending along the sides of said building between adjacent corner passages, said horizontal conduits having outlets into said rooms at the ceiling and floor levels thereof, said second prismatic means being adapted to direct light through the horizontal conduits for passage of said light from the outlets of the horizontal conduits, said light deflecting means constituting prismatic reflectors, the ends of the vertical and horizontal outlets being closely spaced with the first prismatic :means spanning said spaces.

5. A combination lighting, heating, and ventilating system for a building structure comprising a single, centrally located light source, in the bottom of the structure, a plurality of. light supply channels extending from said source, main light passages extending upwardly from the outlet ends of the channels at the corners of the structure, first prismatic means for deflecting light horizontally at selected intervals along the length of said passages, a plurality of riser columns extending adjacent said passages, second prismatic means for receiving the horizontally deflected light and leading the same into said riser columns, means in the riser columns for deflecting light led thereinto substantially horizontally, inwardly of the rooms of said building structure, said columns having outlets into said rooms through which the inwardly deflected light is directed into the rooms, and means for forcing into said columns, for discharge through the outlets thereof, simultaneously with the direction of the light beams therethrough, a supply of conditioned air, said system further including horizontally disposed conduits extending along the sides of said building between adjacent corner passages, said horizontal conduits having outlets into said rooms at the ceiling and floor levels thereof, said second prismatic means being adapted to direct light through the horizontal conduits for passage of said light from the outlets of the horizontal conduits, said columns and conduits each being formed of a pair of interfitting sections complementarily recessed to provide passages therein for the ight and conditioned air.

6. A combination lighting, heating, and ventilating system for a building structure comprising a single, centrally located light source, in the bottom of the structure, a plurality of light supply channels extending from said sources, main light passages extending upwardly from the outlet ends of the channels at the corners of the structure, first prismatic means for deflecting light horizontally at selected intervals along the length of said passages, a plurality of riser columns extending adjacent said passages, second prismatic means for receiving the horizontally deflected light and leading the same into said riser columns, means in the riser columns for deflecting light led thereinto substantially horizontally, inwardly of the rooms of said building structure, said columns having outlets into said rooms through which the inwardly deflected light is directed into the rooms, and means for forcing into said columns, for discharge through the outlets thereof, simultaneously with the direction of the light beams therethrough, a supply of conditioned air, said system'further including horizontally disposed conduits extending along the sides of said building between adjacent corner passages, said horizontal conduits having outlets into said rooms at the ceiling and floor levels thereof, said second prismatic means being adapted to direct light through the horizontal conduits for passage of said light from the outlets of the horizontal conduits, said means for supplying conditioned air including tubular casings extending in parallelism with the riser columns and horizontal conduits and having connecting passages communicating with said riser columns and horizontal conduits, the tubular casing associated with the riser columns being extended for the full length of the riser columns at the several corners of the structure, and the tubular casings associated with the horizontal conduits being extended continuously about the periphery of the structure at the several floor levels thereof, each tubular casing including therein a pair of side-by-side tubes for supplying and returning the conditioned air.

7. In a building having a basement and a number of rooms superposed thereabove, the rooms having communicating passages upwardly along the side walls thereof and across the floors and ceilings thereof, said passages having slots therealong opening inwardly of the rooms, a single centrally located light source disposed in the basement of the building, light directing channels radiating substantially horizontally from said light source and communicating with the'openings in the first room above the basement, slotted tubular members having a light reflective surface, fitted in the vertical and horizontal-passages of the first room above the basement, with their slots registering with the slots in the passages, the ends of said tubular members being closely spaced from each other and communicating with the channels in the basement, prismatic devices in the spaces between said ends for deflecting light rays through said vertically and horizontally disposed members whereby the light rays are then deflected outwardly through the slots therein by said light reflective inner surface, and prismatic devices in the spaces between the'slotted tubular members of the other room above the first room, said latter devices spanning the end openings in the horizontally disposed tubular members for deflecting light rays through the vertical tubular members thereabove and through the spanned horizontally disposed tubular members.

8. In a building having a basement and a number of rooms superposed thereabove, the rooms having communicating passages upwardly along the side walls thereof and across the floors and ceilings thereof, said passages having slots therealong opening inwardly of the rooms, a single centrally located light source disposed in the basement of the building, light directing channels radiating substantially horizontally from said light source and communicating with the openings in the first room above the basement, slotted tubular members having a light reflective surface, fitted in the vertical and horizontal passages of the first room above the basement, with their slots registering with the slots in the passages, the ends of said tubular members being closely spaced from each other and communicating with the channels in the basement, prismatic devices in the spaces between said ends for deflecting light rays through said vertically and horizontally disposed members whereby the light rays are then deflected outwardly through the slots therein by said light reflective inner surface, and prismatic devices in the spaces between the slotted tubular members of the other room above the first room, said latter devices spanning the end openings in the horizontally disposed tubular members for deflecting light rays through the vertical tubular members thereabove and through the spanned horizontally disposed tubular members and apparatus in the basement operatively connected to the vertical and horizontal tubular members for forcing conditioned air therethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

